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LAW FOR THE IDIOTS: Day 19 (Obsession)

Sabi nila there’s a thin line between love and obsession. Kasi nga naman when we fall in love we do things which we don’t normally do. The moment you wake up, siya ang unang sumasagi sa isipan mo. Before you sleep at night, siya din ang huling naiisip mo. We do crazy things kumbaga. And we have to admit that what we feel towards that person, we also want it to be reciprocated somehow. “Sana ganun din niya ako kamahal,” “Sana naiisip din niya ako,” “Sana mapansin din niya ako.”

Here’s AAA, a fifteen (15) year old minor na babae. Active siya sa social media particularly sa Facebook. Merong isang page doon na member siya. The purpose of that group is for these young people to meet other young people. Of course, to follow na lang ang eyeball or meet-up kung sakaling may mapusuan siya at pumayag din naman yung isa.

“x x x to capture an image of the private area of a person/s such as the naked or undergarment clad genitals, public area, buttocks or female breast without the consent of the person/s involved and under circumstances in which the person/s has/have a reasonable expectation of privacy.”

Bukod dito, stalker once again violated RA 9995 (Anti-Photo And Video Voyeurism Act of 2009), this time based on the following ground:

“To take photo or video coverage of a person or group of persons performing sexual act or any similar activity x x x”

The opinion of some is that the boyfriend who recorded his sexual act with his girlfriend for collection purposes cannot be prosecuted under this act. But take note of the circumstances in the case of AAA and the stalker. Ang purpose ng recording is not for personal or private collection but as a means of blackmailing AAA so that she will not report to the authorities the rape incident.

Kasi ang meaning ng “dating relation” sa RA 9262 ay “wherein the parties live as husband and wife without the benefit of marriage or are romantically involved over time and on a continuing basis during the course of the relationship. A casual acquaintance or ordinary socialization between two individuals in a business or social context is not a dating relationship.”

Pwedeng pumasok sa “romantically involved over time and on a continuing basis” eh. Pero at the same time, pwedeng i-argue ni stalker na hindi applicable sa kanila yun at i-deny ang relationship nila.

Ngayon naman, isa sa sexual violence na kino-condemn ng RA 9262 ay ang rape, sexual harassment, at acts causing or attempting to cause the victim to engage in any sexual activity by force, threat of force, physical or other harm or threat of physical or other harm or coercion.

As a general rule, a mere thought to commit a crime is not punishable unless the law otherwise provides. Pero oras na i-execute mo ang “thoughts” mong iyan, you become liable for your acts.

On the other hand, in order to prevent yourself from being a victim of criminal obsession, be sure that you are not prone to stalking. Gaano kadaming information ba ang ibibigay mo sa publiko patungkol sa’yo? Hanggang saan ang limit na gusto mong ipaalam? The more you expose your privacy to the public, the more chances you become a helpless prey to ruthless predators.